Obama to delay Keystone Pipeline decision until after elections
Posted by Non_mooching_artist 10 years ago to Politics
This is so patently obvious a tactic, that it's laughable. And shows just what motivates our "president". He is a lackey to his money train of donors, and quite shameless in his intentions.
The Canadians have a legitimate grievance with our weak leader, and his waffling over the completion of the pipeline. They, too, are losing money the longer this drags out.
The Canadians have a legitimate grievance with our weak leader, and his waffling over the completion of the pipeline. They, too, are losing money the longer this drags out.
The truth is even worse. Over 80% of the proposed Keystone Pipeline would follow existing pipeline right of ways. That's right, for 80% of the route the new pipe would be laid next to an existing, working hydrocarbon pipeline.
Check out the Sandpiper Pipeline, another that would carry Bakken crude from North Dakota east, through Minnesota but for the EPA and local protest groups who question its safety, ignoring the fact that the new pipeline would be laid a few feet from an existing smaller pipeline that's been in operation for decades.
Pipeline transport, which would expose volatile hydrocarbon liquids (fuel) to air (oxidizer) twice in 1000 miles is too dangerous, while truck and rail transport, which exposes hydrocarbon liquids to air four times in 1000 miles and burns more fuel in the process is OK.
Here's where it makes sense: Warren Buffett was a big Obama booster. Warren Buffett owns the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway, which carries almost all crude oil out of North Dakota, at more than $20 per barrel, $19 per barrel more than it would cost to transport the same oil by pipeline.
They do not throw their donors under the bus as long as the donors continue to support them. Now, if Warren Buffett were to throw in with the Koch brothers, Obama would probably permit Keystone and call it an environmental wonder.
Railroads strike again!
http://www.seattlepi.com/news/us/article...
The following from a letter I wrote a few months ago, after another, much larger derailment and fire, the thrust of the argument being, Obama's refusal to decide is calculated to do the maximum harm to the American hydrocarbon industry:
Beyond the safety issues, handling oil is expensive. The additional cost of shipping Bakken oil by rail is approximately $19 per barrel, 20% of its value. Each day US railroads load half a million barrels of crude oil. That’s billions of dollars per year – going to the railroads. The largest beneficiary is Warren Buffett’s Burlington Northern Santa Fe. (Did you ever wonder how Buffett could be an Obama supporter?)
While the US Government refuses to decide on Keystone, the EPA and luddites of the great state of Minnesota refuse to decide on Sandpiper. Both Keystone and Sandpiper would parallel existing pipelines and 80% of each would lay within existing pipeline right of ways. Instead of building either 800 mile pipeline, almost all next to existing pipelines, we’ve opted to have thousands of tank cars crisscross the country each day and every once in awhile they go BOOM!
BY DECIDING TO NOT DECIDE, rather than pumping 500,000 barrels per day through intrinsically safe pipelines to US refineries, locking in 50 years of Canadian oil, cutting costs for US consumers, raising profits for US companies and providing jobs for US citizens; we are shipping 500,000 barrels per day in 34,500 gallon bombs, failing to lock in our source, jacking the price up 20% for US consumers, reducing profits for US oil companies and reducing employment at US refineries, the cleanest in the world, so the oil in question can be processed in Chinese refineries, paragons of environmental cleanliness.
It was ignored. The full letter was much longer, making the point that in every case where Obama has a chance to say "yes" or "no" to the minerals industry he chooses instead to say "maybe", which is the worst possible answer because it ties up people and capital that could otherwise be profitably used elsewhere. He's very good at it, knowing exactly how to not make the decision in order to create the greatest possible cost for the industries involved. Smart companies recognize what he's doing, give up and go elsewhere. Companies that have already made huge long term investments continue lobbying because they must.
While I don't think Obama is incredibly bright, I think he's been well schooled in and is being well advised on how to defeat capitalism.
Did you hear that scratching sound 8 minutes ago? It was your name being added to the enemies list. Smile at the camera...